By Isaiah Trevino –
As the school year begins and different sports get underway— whether it’s football, volleyball, baseball, or anything else— it is important to understand that you will fail at different moments throughout the year. Whether it happens on the field, in the weight room, in the classroom, or somewhere else, failure is coming. It is not something that happens only to certain individuals; it happens to everybody, including the elite of the elite. One of the biggest differences between an elite athlete and a “not-so-elite” athlete is how they handle failure.
Some of the greatest athletes I’ve seen handle failure are people like C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, just to name a few. I remember a couple of years ago when Stroud had a string of bad weeks, but the way he handled it was almost as impressive as a record-setting performance. The things he said during that time taught me a lot of lessons that I still try to carry with me in my everyday life, and I believe they can help you as well.
When you train so hard for something, give everything you have to a particular goal, leave no stone unturned, and still fail, you may feel small. You may feel like you’re working for nothing or that you are a failure. It’s important to just eat it. It’s life, and life doesn’t owe you anything. I like to look at it as though there is something greater in store for you. While that may be hard to see in that particular moment, I believe the quicker you can understand that, the more successful you will be in the future and the better you will become at handling failure.
If you expect to succeed at the highest of highs, you must also be ready to embrace the lowest of lows. Nothing worth working your tail off for comes easy, and you shouldn’t expect it to. Stroud said, “You have to be joyful in those moments of adversity.” When you take the long road and experience setbacks along the way, the success will feel that much better in the long run.
The things that you can control every day are your attitude and your effort. Leave no stone unturned in your preparation for whatever goal you may have, both inside and outside of the game of baseball. Don’t let anybody question your heart or your work ethic when it comes to your dreams.
Failure is going to come. It is inevitable. Control what you can. Be the best at handling adversity and failure, and you will put yourself in a great position to succeed—not only in baseball, but more importantly, in life.
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Important TBR Updates
- TBR’s Fall Classes start September 2nd! Not registered yet? There’s still time. Classes are held Monday & Wednesday and run monthly from September through January (attend any one or all). Spots are limited. Email Info@TexasBaseballRanch.com or call our office at (936) 588-6762 to secure a spot or ask any questions.
- Our annual Youth Camp (for players ages 8-12) will be October 3 & 4. CLICK HERE to learn more and register. Limited to only 24 players. Secure your spot now.
- Join us for one of our 2026 Elite Pitchers Boot Camps!
September 5-7 (Sat-Mon) – Only 4 spots remain
October 10-12 (Sat-Mon)
November 21-23 (Sat-Mon)
December 28-30 (Mon-Wed)
To register or learn more CLICK HERE
- Attention Catchers! Our annual Elite Catcher’s Boot Camp will be held December 11th – 13th. Registration is now open. CLICK HERE to learn more and reserve your spot. $500 Early Bird savings available.
- Coach Wolforth is hosting a special 90 minute webinar – “The Velocity Code: 3 Secrets to Improving Velocity and Staying Healthy” on Thursdays at 7pm CST. If you’d like to attend the next webinar, CLICK HERE to register.
