Two kinds of softball players ...

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Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
Been thinking about this lately as it pertains to my DD's motivation for playing.

Which is more like your daughter?

Type 1
-Very competitive. Wants to win. Wants to be the best hitter, pitcher on her team.
-Inwardly motivated.
-Also motivated by doubters and haters. Loves to prove people wrong.
-She's not going to enjoy a team unless she's playing the role that she wants. Doesn't mean that she's selfish or that she's not a team player, as coaches love self-motivated players, but she's also going to look for a team that helps her achieve her personal goals. Team chemistry and relationships are all nice, but her role on the team and the competition level are paramount.
-If the team brings in a better player at her position, she doesn't like it, but it also will stir her competitive fires.
-If she were a football player, she's more likely turn pro after 3 years to play at a higher level.
-She'd really miss playing softball if she had to give it up right now.

Type 2
-Plays softball to be part of something bigger than herself. Not as interested in individual goals.
-Outwardly motivated. Will run through a wall for the right coaches and teammates.
-No time for haters and doubters. Thrives around people who believe in her and care about her. Seeks them out instead.
-If the team brings in a better player at her position, that's fine. She's happy to play another position. She hopes the new player makes the team better but also hopes the new player is fun to be around.
-If she were a football player, she'd more likely return for a senior year to make one more run at the title.
-Selfless to a fault. Has no problem sacrificing or even sitting out sometimes if she's part of a team that she loves.
-She wouldn't miss softball that much if she had to quit. She'd just miss her teammates and coaches.
 
Last edited:
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
We had one player that had no interest in being on field, she just wanted to be in dugout. Her HS dad football coach has came to every game, watching her sit in dugout.

It kind of grounds you as a parent.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
We had one player that had no interest in being on field, she just wanted to be in dugout. Her HS dad football coach has came to every game, watching her sit in dugout.

It kind of grounds you as a parent.

That's a little different altogether. The Type 2 that I'm describing can be just as good or work just as hard as Type 1, but it's comes from a different place in the heart.
 
Feb 19, 2016
280
28
Texas
Some of the type one stuff was right on the money for DD.

Have you ever seen a kid get angry when she has to play SS or a base position? All she wants to play is catcher.
 
Last edited:

WARRIORMIKE

Pro-Staff Everything
Oct 5, 2009
2,815
48
At the Jewel in San Diego
Mines Type 3


Type 1
-Very competitive. Wants to win. Wants to be the best hitter, pitcher on her team.
-Inwardly motivated.
-Also motivated by doubters and haters. Loves to prove people wrong.
-She's not going to enjoy a team unless she's playing the role that she wants. Doesn't mean that she's selfish or that she's not a team player, as coaches love self-motivated players, but she's also going to look for a team that helps her achieve her personal goals. Team chemistry and relationships are all nice, but her role on the team and the competition level are paramount.
-If the team brings in a better player at her position, she doesn't like it, but it also will stir her competitive fires.
-If she were a football player, she's more likely turn pro after 3 years to play at a higher level.
-She'd really miss playing softball if she had to give it up right now.

Type 2
-Plays softball to be part of something bigger than herself. Not as interested in individual goals.
-Outwardly motivated. Will run through a wall for the right coaches and teammates.
-No time for haters and doubters. Thrives around people who believe in her and care about her. Seeks them out instead.
-If the team brings in a better player at her position, that's fine. She's happy to play another position. She hopes the new player makes the team better but also hopes the new player is fun to be around.
-If she were a football player, she'd more likely return for a senior year to make one more run at the title.
-Selfless to a fault. Has no problem sacrificing or even sitting out sometimes if she's part of a team that she loves.
-She wouldn't miss softball that much if she had to quit. She'd just miss her teammates and coaches.



Type 3


Ehhhh?? Softball? Ok I'll go. Wait let me Snap Chat first......
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Mine's a mix of both. Her personality is probably more #2. Her competitiveness is more with herself than with other people. She would be thrilled to have another pitcher that is as good as she is on our team, to share the pressure. She definitely has her preferred positions, but she will play wherever she's told to play. Last year we did Type 2 sort of thing and stepped down from A to B so she could play with her best friend. She had fun, but did not want to do it again this year. She prefers playing tough teams; she'd rather fight hard and lose than get an easy win. But she's also pretty easy going about most things. She's never once cried over a loss, though she once cried in frustration over a completely inconsistent strike zone. She cares very much about softball, she wants to win, she would miss it a ton if she had to quit. But she also sees it as a game, for fun more than anything else (she's 11 so this is not a bad thing IMO). When a girl gets a great hit off her, she shakes it off easily because the batter's job is to get a great hit; she knows when she's up to bat she'll do her best to do the same. Her job as the pitcher is not to let her. Sometimes she wins, sometimes the batter does. She's extremely physically athletic and I sometimes wonder if she were more intense about the game when she's not playing, if she'd be more developed than she is now because of that internal drive - she will practice anytime but rarely suggests it on her own anymore. But overall I'm glad she's the way she is, especially as a pitcher. It keeps her cool headed. There have been multiple times where she's loaded the bases with 0 or 1 out, and gotten out of it with no runs scored. I've seen some of the more intensely competitive girls fall apart with runners on because of the stress of it. So I suppose there are pluses and minuses to both sides.
 
Nov 4, 2015
320
43
Mine is definitely a mix of the two. She just turned 12. Has given up 5 runs in an inning and said she pitched great. "I was throwing strikes. They were just getting hits." Wants to play all the time in games, ok if she sits and doesn't really care where she plays. Loves pitching, but doesn't want to pitch all the time. Wants to win, but not the end of the world if she is having a good time. She's young, so she is still evolving. Just love watching her play.
 

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