Willie M

Life Lesson #28: Handling Adversity

Why is it that while some youngsters collapse under the weight of game pressures, other athletes thrive? When faced with an umpire that won’t call the outside pitch, or with a huge hole in the mound’s landing area, how can we teach an athlete to deal with adversity? Is this a trait that an athlete is born with or without… or can it be taught? And if it can be taught, is there a roadmap towards building one’s “handling-adversity skill set?”

Athletes need to be mentally present (in the moment… aware), he/she experiences the full range of emotions associated with that specific adverse situation. Through communication following these experiences and emotions, we open an athlete’s eyes to the way in which a person can handle tough situations. Each situation then becomes a true learning experience, from which an athlete learns to handle future adversity.

DRILLS
Handling adversity is poise, composure and mental toughness rolled into one. By mimicking stressful situations, coaches can assist in the development of these character traits which assist an athlete to handle adversity. This is most easily related to pitchers, who must deal with adversity each and every outing. Even if every break goes their way, all the defensive plays are made and the umpire calls a great game, a pitcher must still deal with 9 opposing batters and a crowd of rowdy fans cheering for his failure.

Cal State Fullerton’s George Horton, explained a great example of drilling pitchers to handle adversity. In preparation for their title run in 2004, Coach Horton realized that a number of his relievers were underclassman… and underclassman with very few innings. In an effort to ready his staff for the unavoidable adversity associated with the College World Series (25,000 cheering fans, and the toughest competition in the nation), Horton executed a special drill at the end of every practice for a week. Each day, one reliever did not throw his scheduled bullpen until the end of team practice. Instead, this lone pitcher would throw his bullpen on the main diamond, with the entire team watching. Not only would the team watch, but Coach Horton instructed his guys to line up at the cut of the infield grass, outlining the mound. Additionally, all athletes were encouraged to wave, shout and jump in an effort to distract the pitcher (no profanity allowed). This pitcher then had to execute the entire bullpen routine with a team full of athletes yelling and screaming distractions at him.

This example is a great way to drill handling adversity. In this case, the adversity was not related to the mound or defense. It was limited to crowd distractions in a hostile environment. Needless to say, the Fullerton Titans went on to capture the National Championship, with Horton’s young pitchers contributing greatly to the team accomplishment.

Another drill that creates adversity is the Boot-N-Barehand Drill. This drill is intended to place an athlete in a situation where they have just bobbled a ground ball – something that will happen to every infielder at some point in a season – and a situation that often causes a player to panic, resulting in a bad throw. Athletes are instructed to intentionally drop a fielded ground ball, then they are to properly execute a recovery. Fundamentally, this means that the fielder uses his bare hand to grab the baseball, set a grip and fire to first base. Involving the Boot-N-Barehand Drill at practice will teach an athlete to remain calm after bobbling a ground ball in a game. They are conditioned to execute a barehand recovery (solution), rather than rushing and throwing the ball away.

ATTITUDE MOLDING
DWI means Deal With It - no excuses! Our goal is for athletes to avoid associating adversity with negativity, focusing on finding solutions rather than dwelling on what could be perceived as ”going wrong.” Difficult situations are to be expected, and so an athlete should not be surprised when they come about.

Inevitably and unavoidably, the mound will have huge holes, an umpire will not give close calls, and a defense will make errors. Can we condition an athlete to effectively handle adversity? We can, by molding their attitude and mentality when responding to adverse situations. In the eyes of the beholder, tough breaks are expected and can then be dealt with… adversity will not get us down.

At the first sign of adversity, an athlete is to turn immediately to finding solutions. Choppy landing area = adjust starting position on rubber to land in a flat zone. Defensive errors = pick up teammates and control running game. Breaking pitch not breaking = emphasize change up, spot fastball, find situations to work on breaking pitch.

Create a Together Attitude. Pitchers tend to respond well when they feel as if they are not alone. Imagine a young athlete flustered by a mound that is too tall or too flat. Growing frustrated, the pitcher’s body language turns sour and he begins to pout. Instead of yelling at the athlete, or telling him what adjustments he must make, adopt a together attitude. We have to deal with this situation together, work through it, because it’s not going to change.

“We know it’s going to happen. We know there’s nothing that you can do to avoid it. Let’s choose how to handle it.”

Handling Adversity = DWI Mentality + Solution Oriented + Together Attitude

Being solution oriented, we’ll identify what the solution is, and then work together to deal with it. Instead of player vs. coach, or parent vs. coach, an athlete subconsciously knows he is not alone, and turns his DWI mentality towards working through the adversity.

EXPERIENCES AND COMMUNICATION
After each and every tough outing, communication can help an athlete to sift through the emotions experienced. The habits of young athletes can be molded subconsciously, meaning their reactions change, but then they really aren’t aware of the how they’re reactions are changing. While changing these subconscious reactions is one goal of teaching the ability to handle adversity, it is also a goal to teach the athlete to recognize his feelings and be in tune with how he dealt with the specific problem. Each and every bout with adversity creates a stronger fighter for future, unavoidable situations. Talking through past experiences opens an athlete’s eyes to the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of their behaviors.

The power of baseball goes well beyond the field of play. Teaching young athletes to deal with and handle adversity will benefit them in all facets of life. From test-taking to job interviewing, athletes use the life skills learned through each and every baseball experience to overcome obstacles. Drills, attitudes and communication by coaches can assist in player development – as athletes and as young men.