Softball Tips - You Gotta Have Heart

Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog

Most of the time when softball people get together to discuss the game, the talk turns to technique. They'll debate for hours on end regarding the best way to hit a ball, pitch a ball, throw a ball, etc. They'll talk about athleticism, conditioning and a lot of other physical aspects.

One subject that rarely comes up, though, is heart. That's a shame too, because while a player with great physical skills is a valuable thing to have, without heart you're not going to win as many games as you could.

Heart is what keeps a player going when others might give up. While a player with heart loves to win as much as the next person, winning is not what ultimately drives her. Instead, she plays for the love of the game, and thus focuses on the game itself rather than the outcome.

Players with heart are highly valuable to a team. Just as a player who loses heart can bring a team down, a player who has heart can drive her team to keep playing even when the odds are against them.

In fact, players who have heart often love the challenge of overcoming tough odds. That's not to say that they purposely try to get behind in a game, but when it does happen on its own it brings out the best in them.

The thing about heart is it's not always easy to spot, especially in a tryout situation. A player can look like a world-beater in tryouts when there's no win or loss at stake. There is pressure to perform, of course, but it's a different type of pressure.

When there's a game on the line, or perhaps a tournament, though, that's when you really see who has heart. Some players will collapse the minute things don't go their way. Others will dig down deep and do their best to overcome problems no matter what the odds. Those are the type of players you want on the field when the chips are down.

One thing to keep in mind is you can train a player to throw, field, hit, etc. You can't always train them to have heart. That's something that comes from the inside.

Players with heart will get you through tough times better than players who lack it. In a long season, that can make a huge difference.

Anyway, that's the way I see it.