The Mental Swing Attractors: Champions are Developed by Devotion & Discipline!

Extra Inning Softball is running a series of articles with record-setting college softball coach Mike Lotief who—after 17 years of coaching Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball— reveals the training program that propelled his team to the NCAA tournament, the Women’s College World Series, and NCAA Super Regionals.

Earlier this week, we kicked off the extensive series with the article Swing Attractors… the Secrets of Power Hitting by Coach Mike Lotief giving an introductory background to the successful program.

Today, we delve into the mental side—check it out!

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As we chronicle the SWING ATTRACTORS, it seems appropriate to give context and perspective to the conversation.

To be a great hitter, it takes so much more than just athletic ability and good biomechanics – the other disciplines involved in this process are motor learning, skill acquisition, practice and training, approach and pitch recognition, functional strength training, and a competitive, GROWTH MINDSET.

As we present biomechanics of SWING ATTRACTORS, we will also address MENTAL SWING ATTRACTORS too.

Mental Swing Attractors include an athlete’s loving challenges, having grit and perseverance, being intrigued by struggle, failure and adversity, enjoying effort, and loving the process of development with an insatiable curiosity for learning.

These articles are based on a series of blog posts and power point presentations I used for team building exercises while coaching, even back to my youth recreational time.

Today’s article is about devotion and discipline – what we referred to as having PURE MOTIVES. Enjoy!

Tom Cruise’s character, Nathan Algren, in the movie, “The Last Samurai“, commented about Samurai warriors:

“They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline.”

They have DEVOTION & DISCIPLINE TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE!

Great baseball/softball players remind me of Samurai Warriors.  Although they can be many miles from perfection and have plenty of work ahead of to get their skills to a higher level (physical and mental), there can be no question that they are devoted and they do have incredible discipline.

What is discipline?

It’s hustle and sweat and fighting through pain. It’s eliminating excuses. It’s attention to details. It’s consistency. It’s hard work without having to be asked.

But it’s more… In The Road Less Traveled by Dr. M. Scott Peck, he suggests that discipline is scheduling painful things now in order to enhance pleasure later.

It is accepting responsibility for the results (or lack thereof) you are getting.  It is dedicating yourself to the PROCESS.

You must figure out what’s working and what isn’t. This requires self-examination, a willingness to be challenged, and relentless honesty. Then, you must choose a course of action:  one course of action over another.

Which will you choose?

This decision requires good judgment and courage, and most of all, discipline.  Can you be like the Samurai Warrior and devote yourself to “a perfection” from the moment you awake day by day by day.

With MENTAL discipline (proper thinking and a proper perspective and the right attitude), we can transcend any difficulty of life.  Focus on the process and let others worry about the outcomes!!!

Does the importance of humility defy the importance of confidence?

GIVING A BEST EFFORT PERFORMANCE IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT.

Champions understand that it is their preparation (devotion and discipline) that allows them to consistently perform at a high level. Performance will always have UPS AND DOWNS because people, by definition, are imperfect.

However, with a disciplined approach, great athletes will minimize their “DOWNS” in performance because of their willingness to get back to work and because of their hunger to learn and their eagerness to go at it again.  They avoid the prolonged “slumps” because of their mental toughness – their devotion to their trade and the discipline of their approach and pursuing excellence.

Just like the Samurai Warrior.

Improvement comes from the player’s desire to be competitive at/in practice.  It is your responsibility to make sure that you are improving daily.

Ask: “What am I going to do?”

If you have the devotion and the discipline, then the main impediments to lack of improvement are either a lack of technical understanding or a lack of the required strength.

Learn how to handle struggle, adversity and failure by accepting responsibility for your “OWN WORLD”- take ownership. The external competition (the success and the failure) should translate into a personal, inner drive to excel.

You must have an appreciation for the process; an understanding that the “journey” has deep meaning and value.  On a daily basis, take responsibility for everything – your fitness, whether you win or lose, whether you play or sit, whether you are positive or a whiner, whether you are going to improve or coast, and going to class prepared and eager to learn and grow.

YOU are in control!

Every single day you wake up, commit yourself to excellence.

Can you drive yourself with self-discipline when others are not there?  No one is going to be there to constantly push you or insist that you get fit or hone your skills.  When it truly counts, you are on your own.

Your margin of success is based on YOU – your focus, your devotion and your self-discipline are the measures of your character.

The game will challenge you to find the best in yourself, to learn and grow from difficulties and failures and to emerge stronger and more capable.

Part of the game is your development as a player; but more importantly, always remember that the real journey is about who you become as a PERSON!

THE FERN AND THE BAMBOO

Here is a great story about THE FERN and THE BAMBOO…

‘Do you see the fern and the bamboo in the woods?’

• When they were planted, the fern and the bamboo were just seeds. But with light and water and care, the fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. But NOTHING came from the bamboo seed. In the second year, the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.
• In the third year, despite the same light and the same water and the same soil and the same care, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.
  Should WE quit on the possibilities of the DEVOLOPMENT of the bamboo seed because it is not “growing” as quickly or as fast as the fern?
• In the fourth year, again, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.  Should we give up?
• Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant.
• But just six months later, the bamboo rose to OVER 100 FEET TALL!. It had spent five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

You will never face a challenge that you cannot handle.  All the times you are struggling, remember that you are actually growing roots.

Don’t compare your development or growth to others.  Don’t just focus on the outcomes – the wins and the losses.  Focus on the process – your growth and development.

Surround yourself with teachers and coaches and friends and a support structure, who will NOT QUIT ON YOU but instead continue to nurture you.

Believe in your dreams and grow roots day by day!  You will rise high!  How high will the bamboo rise?  As high as it can!  Rise as high as you can.

Pursue EXCELLENCE!

The attractors of a championship mindset are grit & perseverance (the BAMBOO), a competitive spirit of character and moral courage, getting up and moving forward, having pure motives (DEVOTION & DISCIPLINE) and recovering from adversity before THE NEXT PITCH!

— Michael P. Lotief