By Samantha Parrish-
“Success doesn’t come from ‘pie in the sky’ thinking. It’s the result of doing something each day that will add to your excellence.”
~Nick Saban
I was reading an article about Nick Saban and the way he recruits his players. You would think that at a winning program such as Alabama there would be some specific performance numbers a head coach is looking for. I was interested to learn that one of the first things he looks at is the bottom of the scouting report in the comments section.
Coach Saban is looking for one of two specific words: ‘and’ or ‘but’. You see, Alabama has amazing recruiters and Coach knows that they are going to put top performers in front of him. He is looking for the other ‘stuff’, the things that you maybe won’t be able to quantify. Does this player add to his team, his school, his community in a positive way with an ‘and’, or do his actions off the field make his on-field performance less valuable… a ‘but’?
What ‘ands’ do you bring to your team and your life? This might be an unexpected comment from a baseball training facility, but who you are as a person is far more important than how you play baseball. What you bring to the team in ways that is not measurable is just as important.
- How is your hustle?
- How is your attitude?
- How do you treat players that aren’t performing well?
- How do you deal with adversity?
These questions are just regarding the ‘ands’ you can bring to your team while playing; this doesn’t even include how you behave off the field.
Your athletic skill set is valuable to the team, but the person God made you is invaluable. These factors can and will significantly affect the dynamic of a team (Coach Saban certainly thinks so). The good news is that they are all within your control! Starting today, make yourself an ‘And guy’ (or girl).
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At The Texas Baseball Ranch one of our goals is to help you build on your “And” qualities. One way we do that, and a favorite of our athletes, is our daily mindset presentations. We’d love to have you experience The Ranch this summer and unlock your potential. We have two opportunities for you this summer:
Our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp – offering you the flexibility of six dates between June and August. Go to https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/epbc/
Also, our “Extended Stay Summer Development Program” which begins June 3rd. Come train with us for 2-10 weeks. Early Bird rates available through April 30th but space is limited so don’t delay.
Go to http://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/tbr-summer-program/
